Welcome to Big Cat Games (Full Episode) | SPECIAL | Nat Geo Animals

BOONE SMITH: Big Cats... ♪ [MUSIC] ♪ Magnificent hunters. And Ferocious predators. Now about to face the ultimate test. I'm Boone Smith. I've spent my whole life learning everything there is to know about big cats. Each of them is an incredible animal, with its own special skills. What I want to know is how those skills match up. And I've got a crazy idea to find out. We've designed a series of events to challenge three big cats' species, the cheetah, the tiger and the lion. Over the next hour I'm going to test their big cat weapons to the max. And crown one of them the winner of our Big Cat Games. In the wild big cats survival skills are the difference between life and death. But I want to put these skills to the test. So I am at Busch Gardens in Florida setting up some extreme challenges for these three Big Cats These events will be conducted in a controlled environment. That means these cats are not tamed, they are not trained, they have natural instincts that will come into play. And I know from experience, how those instincts play out in the Wild. Our first competitor is The African lion, the laid back killer of the cat world. Stalk and ambush predators, they're so strong they'll attack prey twice as large as they are. A lioness can reach speeds approaching 40 miles per hour but only over a very short distance. So they calculate how to get as close as possible before they strike. Tigers our second contenders are the heavyweights. They can weigh over 550 pounds, and eat over 60 pounds in a single sitting. They are undercover killers. Their striped fur is perfect camouflage. And their sophisticated senses help them hunt prey in the undergrowth. Last but not least The Cheetah, the fastest thing on four legs. From high ground they target prey on the open African plain then track and attack their target. At less than 150 pounds they lack the assault power of the other big cats. They often trip their prey on the run to bring it down. Now we've designed a series of specific trials. It means as we contrast the different cats we have different hunting strategies, different techniques, different skills. We're literally putting those different skills and strategies against one another. In each event I'm testing a key aspect of these big cats' abilities, in a feline face off. The Hunt To test Big Cat basic Killer instinct. The Jump A test of agility and determination. The Search it's brains not brawn for this event. And The Catch tests deadly accuracy in the killer bite. Over these 4 events Big Cat natural instincts will be pushed to the limit. They can be the key to survival in the wild - here, it's all about points. It's 10 points for a win, 5 for second and 3 for third. And after 4 events we will crown our Big Cat Champion. Now let's meet the our big cat sporting stars. Team Lion. Representing the Pride of Africa - Simon, Rose and Iris. Team Captain is Simon. At 400 pounds, 9 year old Simon is the biggest cat in the Competition. He's just over 8 feet, nose to tail. And next up Team Tiger. Asia's Jungle Giants. Zahra and younger brother Bhutan. Leading Team Tiger is Bhutan. A hefty 356 pound Bengal tiger, this 8 year old is his Mama's favorite and he's more assertive than his team mate. With 2 inch canines to back him up - why wouldn't he be? Team Cheetah. They live for speed Nave, Qi and Tiree, led by Team Captain Jenna. She's a sprightly 84 pounds, a laid back 5 year old and a natural athlete, she's been clocked racing at speeds of 62 miles per hour. My first Challenge for our Big Cat Teams is naturally The Hunt. Wild Big Cats kill without hesitation. It's a basic survival skill, hunt or die. With this event we want to see how quickly an animal can enter the habitat, identify a prey item make that approach and make contact with it, and we'll be keeping tabs on the watch. In our game the winner will be the fastest to make contact with their prey. In the wild, even supreme predators may be cautious of their surroundings. In areas with little cover, a lion's sneaky approach avoids panicking the prey too soon. Once a zebra runs, they only have around 6 seconds to bring it down before being outpaced. Tigers are stealth assassins. They creep close in their camouflage but they can accelerate to over 30 miles per hour once they break cover and their paws pack a 500 pound punch. Cheetahs chase down their prey on the run. Roughly 50 percent of Cheetah hunts end in success. But as the smallest of our big cats will they be too cautious? In the first event I have to ignite my Big Cat's killer instincts. Survival is instinctive but all wild big cats also learn hunting skills from their moms practicing on live prey. Before these big cats go up against the clock, they need to learn to recognize prey. I'm using mock ups laced with meat. Lion and tiger are learning fast. But one set of cats just hasn't got the message. So far The Cheetahs find my cameras - fascinating. The prey - not so much. Mostly for these guys it's just curiosity at this point, they're kind of hey what's kinda new out here. If this events gonna happen at all, I've gotta come up with something to get these speedsters in the game... We're gonna change things up. This zebra is gonna have a rope attached to it so we can get a little movement. The idea behind this is to stimulate that curiosity, keep them engaged in what's going on. We'll see how fast they come into this. Our Athletes are in their blocks. Let the games begin. Rose is steady and dogged, she's got her game face on. Zahra is immediately in the zone. Even the Cheetahs are showing interest from the start. This is anybody's game. I'm realizing my dream: 3 big cat species, 4 challenges, head to head. Whoever comes out on top will be my Big Cat Champion. The first event tests hunting skills against the clock. I want to see how quickly each cat locates and closes in on prey and what that reveals about instinctive big cat behavior. Three, two, one. [AIR HORN SOUND] Here come the Cheetahs.... head hung low - Qi's stalking the moving target, there's is menace is those eyes. This could be a good time, if she closes in for the kill... You actually almost see a little hiss. She's spooked it's Jenna following behind who touches Qi's tail and makes her jump. These cats are instinctively cautious. 95 percent of wild Cheetahs die before reaching adult hood, the majority killed by other predators. For all she knows this prey could be dangerous Jenna's braver. That's classic wild cheetah a trip and a bite to bring down the prey. From the time they actually walked out of the gate to when they actually made physically contact... 42 seconds so for the fastest animal on land, not super-fast coming in. The winner's 10 point are up for grabs. So we're putting the tiger on the clock, team tiger here we go in three, two, one. Zahra picks up a scent and quickly picks out her prey. But she's distracted. A wild tiger has to stay focused. In dense undergrowth prey can disappear in a split second. Zara loses concentration and takes her eye off the prize but she's quickly back in the zone closing in at speed. Contact... 15 seconds from the time it came out the gate to the time it hit the prey item, so tigers very, very successful, very fast in that event. Could it be our winner? Lions coming up in three, two, one. Lions may hunt together in groups or as individuals. Rose goes it alone. The Zebra may be twice her size - but she's fearless. That scent of raw meat pushes her buttons. This is pure instinct, just like a wild lion her eyes stay locked on her target. She is every inch a cool and calculating killer. From the time they came out until the time she actually made contact with the zebra was just over 10 seconds. It's a Winning time and technique for Rose and she is tearing that prey apart. Rose is definitely switched on to wild hunt mode. Fully focused all the time. All her claws are retractable but she has them fully extended ready for the kill. She has 5, one inch long, prey-gripping claws on each front paw. In the wild the curves would hook in to the flesh allowing her 273 pounds to bring down large prey. And she packs an almighty punch. With powerful deltoid muscles in the shoulders and paws 4 inches across, she can deliver a skull crushing blow equivalent to the weight of 3 men. But just how close did our cats come to wild big cat behavior. The Cheetahs caution cost them valuable time but once they did close in, it was a classic cheetah kill. They trip an animal they knock it down and then the first thing they go for is a choke hold, they don't have big powerful jaws to sever spinal cords or puncture skulls, and it's funny how that even though our zebras maybe not totally made the scale that our cheetah instantly goes for the head the and neck area. Zara latches onto the prey just as she would in the wild, picking up speed to zone in and go for the kill. She notices those little minute details especially in a close proximity that within moments of coming out it had the prey item pegged and it was on its way. But the tiger made one mistake. She was distracted and looked up just for a few moments. Those vital seconds cost her the game, but it in the wild it could have cost her a meal. Rose is all about energy conservation, she makes a measured approach and crucially she never once loses focus. Her technique is typical of her wild cousins. It is kind of cool to notice how she does approach it, just like a lion would in the wild, they're coming from the backside and it's that jump up onto the back. Rose's victim can't put up a fight, but it's textbook technique from this big cat. Rose's Time and technique put Team Lion at the top of the Leader Board with one event played. Our Cheetahs have been slow off the mark. But I've got a plan to get them flying. Three Big cat species are in a head to head battle for supremacy. In the Hunt challenge, Rose for Team Lion edged it over Team Tiger's Zahra by just 5 seconds. But the Cheetah's were left trailing taking 42 seconds before they finally took down their prey. After one event, Team Lion tops the board. Team Cheetah's hunt may have been an epic fail but with the right stimulation can I get these big cats to burn up the track? Cheetahs are built for speed and here in the habitat they have a race track and this is essentially their place to work out, with all these skills to make them so fast they've got to up and down every day to exercise to keep those skills honed. There's a lot of things that make cheetahs so amazingly fast and that evolution that's happened there, they've got light weight skeletons, they've got big nostrils to bring air in really fast and oversized lungs to get that oxygen out to their muscles quickly. They've got a long tail that helps them rudder and keep their balance as they go and semi retractable claws that act as cleats so they can really get some bite when their chasing down their prey. Here, the Cheetahs are kept fit and stimulated in a specially designed exercise. A lure is placed on a twine pull system the length of the course then set off at speed and the Cheetahs give chase. Now its 220 feet long so for me to do this would take me maybe ten seconds, the fastest sprinters in the world maybe seven or eight, so how fast can a cheetah do it. Time to find out. And the speedster for the Cheetahs is Nayve. To your marks, get set, go. Nayve is the fastest Cheetah in the Park on this course she reaches a top speed of 64 miles per hour. The acceleration is what's so amazing, so fast like there strikes boom, full speed. Let's take a close up look at how these incredible athletes do it. At speeds approaching 65 miles per hour, you can clearly see they have ultra-flexible spines. Flexing like a spring in a burst of power to give maximum reach. They contract and then stretch on each stride. The speed is amazing, but it's the acceleration from zero to 60 is what's so impressive. Pound for pound they accelerate four times faster than Usain Bolt. And at speed they have a massive stride. All their paws leave the ground and they can cover 23 feet in a single pace. To keep them fueled with oxygen they have expanded nasal cavities. During a sprint, the number of breaths per minute booms from 60 to 150. And at speeds approaching 65 miles per hour you need some serious braking power. Most Big Cats have soft pads for stealth but cheetah's pads are hard with ridges helping them withstand that heavy braking. But does supreme speed come at a cost. Maybe the Cheetah only has this one strength. We'll soon find out the next event should take them way out of their comfort zone. In The Jump, our big Cats get stretched to the limit and the question is simple. How high can they go? We know they've got some jump in them, we know they're big powerful animals but we've never really tested them a lot for that straight vertical up, it's usually with some horizontal speed. Tigers and Lions will jump to gain ground and to take down prey. Both can leap over 30feet horizontally. Cheetahs don't jump to hunt but at speed they can cover 23 feet in a single stride. But the task of jumping straight up, is a tougher challenge for all our cats and a real test of Big Cat character. It's gonna be cool. I'm testing out the most tempting baits and best heights to get our Big Cats airborne. Bhutan the Tiger, and Simon the Lion work best with raw meat. The Lionesses like the look of the meat containers. And as for the Cheetahs.... Big Cats can't taste sweet things - but the eccentric cheetahs are obsessed with ... a watermelon. They're going to use that in the main event because I think the Cheetahs are going to need all the help they can get. Unlike lions and tigers that jump on top of their prey and take them down cheetahs are tripping them up from behind swiping at those back legs, so the evolution of speed to go horizontally fast doesn't necessary convert into the vertical. So we're gonna move this up and see just how high they can go. As each cat has a different body length, to make this a fair contest the winner won't be the one who reaches furthest, but the one who gets his feet highest off the ground. We've placed the baits just beyond the reach of all of our Big Cats, the question is how high will they fly... to bring down their target. So lions coming out Simon's quick to locate his meat target, but hesitates. He's up on the tree not quite willing to make that jump, this is a little bit maybe out of his comfort zone right here. It looks like Simon's not going to make the jump. Time to change tactics, change the lures... and bring on the girls. Rose makes her approach. That's a surprisingly good jump. It certainly surprised Iris! Measured at 6 inches. Team lion have set down a marker. Bhutan for Team Tiger has his favorite - Chicken. He finds it irresistible, he should have this in the bag. Bhutan sniffs the air, he sees the target bird. He Scores! The results are in four inches. Not enough to overtake Team Lion, but with just the Cheetah's to come, it should nail second place. This is the event climax. These cats are the underdogs, but as we're about to find out, cheetahs are also more ingenious. The big Cat Games are revealing the truth about Big Cats' behavior. We've seen just how fast they can move and how killer instinct kicks in. The Jump tests agility and sheer determination. A standing vertical jump is not a typical move for any of these cats, least of all the Cheetahs. But now it's down to Qi to upset the competition and make her mark on these games. Qi eyes the prize. No hesitation that's the highest so far. But she's still looking, I don't think she's finished yet. This Cheetah just loves getting airborne. Instead of actually jumping up and grabbing it, she's now climbed the tree gone up above it almost like checking it out and come back out. I'm giving that to team Cheetah, for height and ingenuity. People claim Cheetah's can climb trees, that myth's just been busted with a jump over 2 feet straight into the branches. How did she do it? Big Cats effectively walk on their toes. Most of their foot is raised off the ground. Their rear feet are around twice as long as their front feet and the cats push them flat on the ground for the jump. The main extensor muscles in the rear legs prepare to fire the cat upwards. And the length of the feet helps provides leverage at the ankle joint to propel the Big Cats into the air. Qi is less than one third of the weight of her opponents, with much less upper body bulk to lift. Maybe that gives her the edge. That result's a game changer. The winning 10 points put the Cheetahs in second overall. With 5 for Lions in second keeping them on top, while just 3 points for the tigers sees them third at the midway stage. But if this had been a water jump different story. Another myth's about to get busted. Some people claim that cats don't like water! Tell that to the Tiger! They take to water to cool down in tropical temperatures and they'll even go hunting in it. They can swim rivers over four miles across and might swim as much as 18 miles in a day. Their style is doggy paddle and the paddles are huge. Tigers have the biggest paws of all the big cats with a span of more than six inches, and a total surface area of 38 square inches. That's about the same as a table tennis racket. Tigers aren't the only cats that like water but they are certainly the biggest. Our big cats have competed in tests of instinct and agility. Now I want to compare how fast they find food, in a time trialed Search. This challenge is a test of big cat senses and intelligence. I'm going inside each habitat to hide a fresh food treat starting with the Tigers. For this event we have four different palm fronds throughout the habitat. Under one of them we're gonna put a food reward and see how quick the tigers when they enter the habitat can find it. I am doing exactly the same thing for the Lions and for the Cheetahs. All 3 cats should see the Palm fronds. But that alone isn't enough to tell them there's a treat hidden behind one of them. In this test we want to see how well the secondary senses along with intelligence play into the whole picture. So to win this test, our Big Cats will be relying on their sense of smell and brain power. Decoding incoming signals, and working out what to do with them. Big cats rely on their senses of sight and hearing to detect moving prey. Their sense of smell is valuable for communicating with potential mates or territorial rivals. But Big Cats aren't only hunters, they're also scavengers. They won't turn their noses up at the chance of some effortless eating. Lions can detect the smell of rotting meat from 25 feet. Which of our big cats will be fastest to find a free meal. So here we go cheetahs out in three, two, one. Team Cheetah are in this together, they're looking alert and interested, it's a good start but conditions are against them. come into play on this one, it's not just walk out and you smell it and you go, if the breeze is the wrong way they don't pick up that scent. For team Lion, Simon's taking a typically conservative approach, but has he picked up the scent? He's now in a position where he can see the palm frond so something that's different, new in his habitat and we're hoping he'll cue in on those. He's on course for a great target Time. Team Lion could be the main contenders here... Can team Tiger challenge? Zahra is on the case. Her senses are 100 percent tuned in the direction of the bait. She can smell the meat. She can't see it but she can see something new in the direction that smell is coming from. Two and two together makes food. That's an awesome time. So at a time of under 30 seconds, at this point its team tiger leading the seek out event. Now can Simon beat that? He's actually at the palm frond, that we've hidden the food reward, that's he's first hit, but until he actually finds it the clock keeps running. After two events my big cat games are at a crucial stage. My animal athletes have hit sporting highs and lows but whoever wins this event will have one paw on the title. Zahra for Team tiger was totally in tune with her senses finding the hidden meat treat in just 28 seconds. But Simon for Team Lion could have victory at his claw tips. He is literally standing over the meat with seconds in hand. He can smell it but he hasn't found it yet. What's he doing? Seems Simon's losing interest. Meanwhile team Cheetah have lost the scent and lost the plot. Their attention is again torn between the palm fronds and our micro cameras. And for the moment, the go-pro's winning. Five minutes ago victory was at Simon's feet - and he missed it. Finally he's closing in again. So he's back at the palm frond, definitely can smell there's something there. But the difference on this is he's going to have to use a little intelligence and get underneath it, there he goes and that's our time. So lions finished the seek out event with a time of six minutes. That's a poor show for team Lion. He traced the smell but the fact the food was hidden threw him off the scent. Back at Team Cheetah, they're all still completely unaware of the tasty treat that's right beneath their noses. Yeah, we'll give him a couple more minutes here... So I think this is a time out and we're gonna call it for the Cheetah's. 7 minutes. No find. A Big Cat's sense of smell is 10 times more powerful than a humans. But Big Cat's smell isn't just about food - or their noses. They have a special scent analyzer, the Jacobsen's organ, located in the roof of the mouth behind the teeth. It can pick up pheromones and sends signals to the brain about potential mates. But in our event it was Zahra's intelligence linking the changes in her habitat with the smell of food that won the game. Simon may not be the smartest big cat player, but he looks impressive and in the wild his appearance can be vital. Lions are the only Big Cat species with a mane. Darker maned Lions are prime candidates to lead a pride. They have better nutrition, and higher testosterone. They are more likely to survive wounds and much more attractive to females. Simon is healthy, dominant and sexy. He's got it made. But has he got what takes to win our last event. 10 points for winning the Search puts Team tiger right on the heels of Team Lion on our leader board. But with only four points separating first and last, whoever wins the final event will be our Big Cat champions. I've tested Big Cat's instincts, agility, and senses. Now for my final challenge. And the key ingredient is, meatballs! This event, it's, it's a little bit of an abnormal one but it's to test some different skills for these animals, kind of look at some of those reaction skills, how quick, how well it can focus in or out. In the wild our cats, use their jaws to grip and kill their prey. [ROARING] They latch on to the neck, or throat clamp down, and suffocate them. If this was a test of sheer bite force, Team Tiger would come out on top. Tigers have the strongest bite force of all the big cats. It's over 1000 pounds per square inch, generated by three and a half pounds of jaw muscles. But an accurate bite is key to the kill. I want to test our big cat's biting instinct. How accurate will they be honing in and biting down on small flying objects? Each Cat will get 10 tries. The team that catches the most meat will win. After a handful of warm-up throws Team Tiger select Bhutan to go it alone. Team Cheetah is going with Qi the hero of the high jump. But the Lions are in this together. Lions are Pride animals, they hunt in a group, so we've got the whole team out here, we're gonna let them do it as a group, as a team. The cats are all lined up and ready to go. And now it's game on all these catches count. The Lions are off to a great start. Oooh that was a good catch. They're showing phenomenal form. Two for two right off the bat. Three for three right down there, there's one, two, three, all three of them, perfect catches. Could any other Big Cats possibly match that perfect score? My Big Cat games are reaching their climax. The Fourth and Final event is under way. It's The Catch and Team Lion are on Fire. Whoever takes this will take the Championship. But the Lions aren't the only ones showing great early form. You can see he's just got that really good focus and he's able to track it as it comes his way. As for the Cheetah's not for the first time, the underdogs. Qi's happy to take the meat, but only after it's landed. The Cheetahs aren't the greatest catchers in the world. You can see they really key in when Becky starts to throw, but they're not making that leap they you would maybe see of dog or something else that would jump up and grab it. And after just a handful of throws our Cheetahs typically lose interest and leave. Their games are over. But The Lions and Tigers are both scoring well. Either side could land this and the championship. And Bhutan is showing us exactly what he's made of. That was nothing but the back of the tongue. Tiger and Lions are in a dead heat with four all and both sides have three catches left. Everything depends on what happens next. Team Lion up first. Clean as a whistle. Great catch from Iris. Bhutan, takes it with style, one down two to go. Rose, total disaster. She's gone from biting to swatting. That could be crucial. Bhutan! Bhutan steps up, to pile the pressure on. It's in but, oh, it's out again for team Tiger. Close counts for nothing. It's all down to the last throw. Rose keeps her eye on the prize. A picture of concentration. This lion gets ready ...to fumble! Now it's all or nothing for Bhutan. This to win the Big Cat Games. Straight down the middle! Bhutan bags the big one for Team Tiger. Culminating in the catch, the tigers have been our most versatile competitors. It is such an adaptable predator. It lives in a variety of habitats and in doing so, it has to have very diverse hunting strategies, and I think this is a great example of how adaptable these big cats are. The numbers on the board do not lie. We have our Big Cat Champions. Team Tiger. Brother and sister act Bhutan and Zahra stole the show. With two firsts, a solid second, and only one third, putting Team Tiger firmly at the top. They fully deserve the title of Big Cat Games Champions. All the big cats have completed the events and the results are in and it's given us some interesting insights to their strengths and their weaknesses. The tigers for example, our most consistent competitor and this is a direct reflection of their natural environment, so diverse, so challenging. They have to have a wide array of skills in order to survive. The lions also performed very well, but their tactics reflected their strategy in the savanna. They came at things slow, cautious. They took their time. They conserved energy. The cheetahs, the exact opposite, our speedsters, but all that speed comes at a cost and as a result they didn't perform as well in some of the challenges. Overall the games have given us some fantastic insight into what makes these big cats, nature's ultimate predators. And the Best Big Cat of All. I present the Winner of the Big Cat Games. THE TIGERS.